Wireless IT hobbles to Day 3

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 13, 2001 -- Although Wednesday’s keynotes were cancelled, CTIA (www.wow-com.com) Wireless IT 2001 did continue with fewer attendees, a sparsely populated exhibit floor and many empty booths.

The San Diego Convention Center was under tighter security. Guards stood at a gate where on Sunday, cars had passed through easily to drop off passengers and booth materials at the center’s front doors.

Individual meetings were cancelled along with press conferences and social events. Those remaining in the convention center attended educational sessions, toured the exhibit floor, listened to presentations at booths and stopped often to watch TV sets tuned to continuing news coverage of the tragic aftermath of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks on the United States.

PCIA (www.pcia.com), which had planned its GlobalXchange event for this week in Los Angeles, cancelled the event following the attack. Rumors were floating around the Wireless IT convention floor that several PCIA staff members were aboard the hijacked airliner, which crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Melinda Johnson, PCIA communications director, said Thursday that the rumors were untrue. No PCIA staff was on that plan, however one of the passengers, Karen Kincaid, Wiley Rein & Fielding attorney, has served as a PCIA legal counsel, Johnson said.

Industry observers have criticized CTIA for continuing with its event here in San Diego. However, attendees at the show interviewed randomly by Wireless Review were mostly supportive of the organization’s decision. At about 3 p.m., one attendee offered this assessment: “I’m not in the mood to talk business. And we only had about 10 people stop by the booth today, so we decided to leave early. It’s hard to focus.”

CTIA media relations officials said yesterday the show would continue as planned today, Thursday, the final day of Wireless IT 2001. However this morning, the keynotes again were cancelled.

Around San Diego, evidence of the recent tragedy was apparent yesterday. The morning had begun with local news reports of San Diego Muslim groups receiving threatening phone calls. Traffic crawled across the San Diego Bay Bridge.

Later in the evening, one of the few social events planned in conjunction with Wireless IT that was not cancelled was a cruise around San Diego Bay on the Pacific Hornblower, which was sponsored by Intel and Stellcom. As the boat left the bay, a U.S. Navy ship passed the passenger boat slowly; armed personnel patrolled the ship’s bow. After passing the Pacific Hornblower, the Navy ship accelerated quickly and exited the Bay. In the distance, a military plane flew low over San Diego. Other small passenger boats cris-crossed the bay as the sun set.